Metal container



Oct. 18, 1932. J. H. RENSHAW METAL CONTAINER Filed Feb. 8, 1950 Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH HOWARD RENSHAW, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINENTAL CAN COMPANY, INC, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METAL CONTAINER Application filed February 8, 1930. Serial No. 426,917.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a metal container, and more particularly to the bail attaching means for a container.

An object of the invention is to provide a container having dome-shaped ears with cen-. tral perforations with a wire hail, the ends of which pass through the openings into the ears and are so shaped within the ears as to prevent the detaching of the bail from the ears during handling and storing.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view showing a portion of a container with the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the manner of attaching the bail to the ears.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through one of the ears showing the bail end attached thereto.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through one of the ears with the bail in vertical position.

Fig. 5 is aview similar to Fig. 4 showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a side view of the bail ear shown in Fig. 5.

The invention is directed to a bail attaching means for a container. The container as illustrated in the drawing consists of a body portion 1 to which a top portion 2 is secured by a double seam 3. The top portion has an opening therein which is closed by a friction plug or cover 4. The container may be made in other forms; the form shown is pure- Attached to the side wall of the container is an ear 8. Said ear is formed, as shown in the drawing, with an inner wall 7 and an outer wall 8, which walls are secured together by a rolling of the metal at the periphery of the inner wall 7 over the edge of the dome-shaped wall 8. The ear thus formed is attached, as shown in the drawing, lay-inserting the same through an opening in the side wall of the container and a bumping of the ear and side wall for interlocking the same. The ear may be soldered to the container or secured in any desired way.

The ear is provided with a central perforation 9. The bail is preferably in the form ly for the purpose of illustrating a container.

of a wire, as indicated at 10 in the drawing. This bail is attached to the ears after the ears are attached to the container body. This is accomplished by means of a shaping. die which, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2 consists of a member 11 having a shaping groove 12 therein. This groove 12 has a straight portion leading to a curved portion and the curved portion at its delivery endis placed opposite the opening 9 in the ear. The so bail end which is straight is inserted in the recess 12 and forced endwise along the recess and this results in a curving of the end of the bail progressively as it is passed through the opening in the ear. 7

This method of attaching a bail to the ears of a container is shown, described and claim ed in my copending application Serial No. 426,918, filed of even date herewith. The bail, as noted, has 'a curved end. This end is circular as it is progressively shaped by the curved portion of the shaping die. The bail as attached to the container has a straight portion 13 which leads to a curved portion 14 passing through the opening 9 in the ear. The end of the bail is curved backwardly upon the bail as indicated at 15, and thence outwardly as indicated at 16. This curvature formed in the bail is preferably of such an extent that the end 16 makes contact or {3.0 substantial contact with the inner wall '9 of the ear. This outward curving of the bail end within the ear prevents any possible detaching of the bail end from the ear.

It will be noted, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, ,5 that the only way the bail end can be removed from the ear is by withdrawing the bail end progressively, changing the angle of the straight portion 12 relative to the ear so as to unthread it from the opening in the manner in which it was inserted. This cannot be done, however, as the two bail ends are, of course, connected through the body of the bail, and therefore, there is no way in which the bail end can become detached from the ear without a changing of the shape of the metal in the bail end that is within the ear.

This, of course, is not accessible and is not subjected to strains which will in any way change its shape. Therefore, the bail when t attached to the ear is permanently attached and will not become detached therefrom during handling or storing.

As shown in Fig. 5, the ear is provided with a series of radially disposed grooves 17.

When the ear is attached to the container one of these radial grooves will be substantially over the opening and when the wire bail is raised to vertical position the end will spring into agroove and hold the same yieldingly in this position. The bail end is so proportioned that the extreme end thereof will be yieldingly forced in one of the grooves.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the shaping of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

" 0 Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A container comprising a body portion having ears attached thereto, said ears being dome-shaped and having a central perforation, a wire bail attached to said ears, each end of the bail from a point outside of the opening in the ear to the inner end of the bail being curved about a common center and in a direction backwardly on the bail and out wardly so that the extreme inner end of the bail is substantially above the portion of the bail passing through the opening in the ear.

2. A container comprising a body portion having ears attached thereto, said ears being dome-shaped and having a central perforation, a wire bail attached to said ears, each ear having a groove formed in its outer wall directly above the opening through the ear,

*0 each end of the bail within the ear being curved backwardly on the bail and outwardly so that the end of the bail is in contact with the inner wall of the ear, and said inner end ofthe bail being proportioned so as to yieldingly force the end of the bail into said radial groove for sustaining said bail in vertical position on the container. In testimony whereof, I affiX my signature.

J. HOWARD RENSHAWV. 

